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BS 12 is a flexible racket, not head heavy at the same time, very good for defensive play, while BS Lyd is kinda like upgrade version of BS 12 as it it stiffer, more head heavier, pack abit more punch due to heavier head, both are fast rackets IMHO

there is no such racket as mx 80 london, only mx london, mx80 and mx london is different racket, mx80 is very stiff and nice racket, the best racket so far i have used but i dont own a mx london so cant comment anything about it

Since I am sponsored by Victor I tried many of the "pro" rackets, therefore I have tried all of them

Here's my opinion:

LYD: The racket is really nice. You have a great smash (although having a great smash is not the most important thing in badminton ). Its head-heavyness makes it really easy to get a fast smash. In defense you need to get used to the timing, since its stiffness and head-heavyness is really not comparable to other (what I mean is, that for example the Z-force is not as stiff as the LYD, though YY says it's 'extra stiff', which is only medium to slightly stiff IMO). What I think is, that when you are running for a shuttle and just wanting to get a high clear using only your wrist it is pretty hard. Sometimes my wrist does hurt a bit. But all in all, if you do have a powerful wrist you can give it a try, maybe borrow it from a mate or a store. But I tell you, test it at least 1 week (or 6-7 sessions)

12: I recently changed to the BS12. I had my doubts, since I am a rather stiff-racket player. To my surprise I love the BS12, in my case, I used the BS LYD before, that's why I needed more time to adjust to the 12. I feel the 12 is really light, awesome to relax your wrist (If you are used to the LYD everthing is kinda light hehehehe). I needed quite a time to get adjusted to the smash. I felt that the 12 is really headlight... But as time moved on I got used to it, and my racket play / handling has improved.

MX80: the STIFFEST racket I have ever played with (and I have played with a lot). As I already mentioned, the Yonex 'extra stiff' is NOTHING compared to the MX80... really stiff, great smash though, but the stiffness is the most diffcult party to handle...

I hope it helped... but please I see you are new... search before you open a new thread... plenty of ppl have already asked your question

I'm also interested in these two racquets but having read a lot of reviews I'm still none the wiser. I have been using only yonex racquets for the best part of 25 years so have no idea what other racquets play like. Currently playing with Arc8DX and ArcZS.

No one seems to play with victor racquets at my clubs so I can't try them out

Some reviews say that both the BS12 and BSLYD are even balanced, but with the LYD more at the head-heavy end of the even balanced band. I'm also a little confused about the grip sizes. I know they are scaled in the reverse order to yonex but some say they are not exactly the same. For yonex, I prefer G3 as I have a big hand, G4 is ok but with over grips. So my understanding is that I need Victor G4 which is closest to yonex G3?

Has anyone played with both Arc ZS and BSLYD/BS12?

I'd like to know which of the two BS has the most similar balance to the Arc ZS?

To me, the Arc ZS is at the head heavy end of the even balanced band.

I also like stiff racquets, but having read Cheetah's review above, my view of "stiff" racquets (8DX and alike) may only be equivalent to a medium stiff victor racquet, in which case the BS12 may be closer to what I am used to.

I am slowly being drawn towards the BS12, the only thing is the colour. I've never seen one in the flesh, but blue does look a bit cheap? Whereas the LYD white looks fantastic in my opinion.

For future reference, the MX London is like a mix of a MX70 and an MX80. Its definitely a great racquet if you're looking for something that's not as stiff as the MX80 but stiffer than the MX70. I do recommend you give it a try.

For yonex, I prefer G3 as I have a big hand, G4 is ok but with over grips. So my understanding is that I need Victor G4 which is closest to yonex G3?

Well my BS12 and BSLYD are both G2... so it's really thin (I play with towel grip and athletic tape wrapped around the wood). But I would say that the G3 Victor is pretty thick... I have here an old YY AT900T and it's G3. The MX80 (G3) is pretty the same... or not much of a difference.

I also like stiff racquets, but having read Cheetah's review above, my view of "stiff" racquets (8DX and alike) may only be equivalent to a medium stiff victor racquet, in which case the BS12 may be closer to what I am used to.

Well, IMO the BSLYD is comparable with the YY VT-ZF... the flex is kinda close, not the same though. And after the YY description the ZF is 'extra-stiff' which is ridiculous IMO.

I am slowly being drawn towards the BS12, the only thing is the colour. I've never seen one in the flesh, but blue does look a bit cheap? Whereas the LYD white looks fantastic in my opinion.

NOT AT ALL!!! The blue looks fantastic!!! I had my doubts, as you do now, but when I had it in my hand the first time, I was truly amazed. Right now the LYD seems kinda well boring to me... I don't really like that epic white.. but that's only my opinion.

I'd like to know which of the two BS has the most similar balance to the Arc ZS?

My oldest daughter played with Arc Z for 2 years and she had switched to BS12 about 6 months ago as she is more into playing mixed double competitively, so I have had a lot of experience with both racquets, however I have only breifly handled the BS LYD for a couple of games. But from my recollection, the BS12 will be the closer option. But if you extend the choices to the whole series of BS, I will pick BS9. (this is from personal experience, both my wife and younger daughter plays BS9)

The Arc series have a certain amount of 'Hold' feel in their line up, where the BS series is high in repulsion except the original BS8 & BS9 tends to be more natural in feel; like the Arc.

My oldest daughter played with Arc Z for 2 years and she had switched to BS12 about 6 months ago as she is more into playing mixed double competitively, so I have had a lot of experience with both racquets, however I have only breifly handled the BS LYD for a couple of games. But from my recollection, the BS12 will be the closer option. But if you extend the choices to the whole series of BS, I will pick BS9. (this is from personal experience, both my wife and younger daughter plays BS9)

The Arc series have a certain amount of 'Hold' feel in their line up, where the BS series is high in repulsion except the original BS8 & BS9 tends to be more natural in feel; like the Arc.

cheers

Ted

Thanks Ted.

My wife has been looking for a birthday present for me and with the BS12 and BSLYD currently on offer, I would really like to get hold of one of these - particularly as I've had my eyes on these two racquets for a while! I've been using yonex for a very long time so it would be nice to try out what the current competition has to offer.

I've read a lot of contrasting opinions on the balance and flex of these two racquets which has swung me from getting the LYD to 12 to Neither to 12 and now back to LYD!!! Unfortunately I don't know of any one or any shops near me that has these racquets to try so I will have to rely on what I read/hear about them.

The only thing I have gathered with overwelming certainty is that these racquets are fast, very fast! That seems to be consesus!

In terms of balance, I'd like something that is even balanced, not head heavy. But I can live with it being at the head heavy end of the even balanced scale (if you know what I mean). Some say the ArcZS is head heavy but I would say it is near the top end of the even balanced band, which is fine. I've read people saying the LYD is quite HH, some say it is definitely not HH but more EB with a little head weight.

In terms of stiffness, I normally like stiff racquets. The ArcZS being the exception which I'm willing to compromise. In another thread, I learnt that the BS12 is more flexible than ZS so that's put me off it, but it begs the question why so many Korean national players use the 12 given that its so flexible? May be they are just custom racquets painted to look like the 12.

At the moment if I can be sure that the BSLYD is not too head heavy and not as unforgiving on off centre shots as some have implied, I will go for it.

Go try BS11, you will love it based on what I read from what you prefer.

R20190: Both of my little girls and myself plays local tournaments, and I have chances to handle quite a few Victor racquets and certainly a descent size of collection of them. My personal experience is the BS12 would be too light for your liking judging on your comments of finding the 3U NS9900 to be a bit shine on weight. The BS12 swings very very very light; by far one of the fastest racquet that I have ever play in my life.

Becasue BS9 is no longer available in the market, I actually second maxout's choice, I personal would pick the BS11 over the LYD as well.

Another note, I find the Victor racquets spec could be a bit over the map; the 3 BS12 my daughter has, they all feel quite different in terms of weight, balance and stiffness even thought they all are 3UG2. And petty much the same issue for the 5 BS9 we have.

R20190: Both of my little girls and myself plays local tournaments, and I have chances to handle quite a few Victor racquets and certainly a descent size of collection of them. My personal experience is the BS12 would be too light for your liking judging on your comments of finding the 3U NS9900 to be a bit shine on weight. The BS12 swings very very very light; by far one of the fastest racquet that I have ever play in my life.

Becasue BS9 is no longer available in the market, I actually second maxout's choice, I personal would pick the BS11 over the LYD as well.

Another note, I find the Victor racquets spec could be a bit over the map; the 3 BS12 my daughter has, they all feel quite different in terms of weight, balance and stiffness even thought they all are 3UG2. And petty much the same issue for the 5 BS9 we have.

Good luck with your hunt. Let us know what you end up with.

Cheers

Ted

From what I have read, I also get the sense the BS12 may be a tad light for me but I'm mainly put off by the flex which rules it out really. Unfortunately only the 12 and LYD are discounted at the moment, the 11 is still about Ģ40 ($65USD) more than the LYD/12 which I can't justify.

At the moment, it's going to be the LYD but I'm just a little unsure about whether it will feel too head heavy for me and whether the low torsional rigidity will put me off. I do like racquets that are forgiving.

CanucksDynasty, the new one is not out in the UK yet and I'm sure will cost a lot more than the current original one which is on offer. As it will be my first Victor, and first use of any non Yonex racquet for over 20 years, I'd rather pick up one that is well known and recommended by others... but thanks for the suggestion!

Ok, I thought I'd report back on my findings of the BS-LYD having had it for a little while now.

I settled for the LYD as I wanted something stiff and near the head heavy end of the even-balanced spectrum. Some of you who know me may know that this is the first time I have bought a non-Yonex racquet in over 20 yrs playing the sport. I've been and still am a big fan of Yonex. But having read so many reviews on Victor racquets and supporting the Korean team I thought it was time to give one a try and to see what the fuss was all about.

The first one that arrived had a rattle in the handle, I got a replacement and it is immaculate. The paintwork is spot on and is at least as good as the top end Yonex racquets. The grip size was G2, which equates to Yonex G4 so I needed to increase the size a little. After putting the grips on I waited until I strung it before giving it a few swings.

I strung it with VS850 (white) at 26.5x28lb.

First impressions of swinging it was that the balance was about right for me. Slightly head heavier than my three Z-Slashes and noticeably head heavier than my Arc 8DX's, although not excessive enough for me to call it head heavy.

The bravesword frame is indeed fast. It slices through the air very well. I thought this was going to be a bit of a gimmick but having tried it myself, I can feel why people are saying it is the fastest racquet they have used. However, comparing it with my ArcZS, I honestly do not feel it is faster than the ZS, it's about the same at best. However because the ZS is a little less head heavy, it travels through the air slightly faster than the LYD. I suspect the more even balanced braveswords would be faster than the LYD and possibly faster than the ZS.

So, on to how it performs on the court.

I was pleasantly surprised during warm up clears at how quickly I managed to get used to the racquet. Clears were effortless, so much so I was hitting them long a lot of the time. Control was adequate, but not outstanding. It is an area that I may need to adjust to. I then moved on to some drives and smashes. This is where the LYD really excels, drives and smash defence were fast, solid and powerful. I could feel the shuttle bouncing off the strings instantaneously, almost like my NS9900, great repulsion.

Smashes were very impressive. Despite some people saying that this is not a powerful racquet, I would dare to disagree. It is a very powerful racquet, the head speed and mass of the racquet produces some very hard smashes. Not effortless smashing (like the ZS) but very easy to smash. So much so I became addicted to it, smashing every lift and even power driving some flat drives cross court. Certainly does not lack power but like all things, there is a compromise -head stability and vibration.

At low impact speeds, such as drives, clears and lifts, the head stability is reasonably adequate. However during smashing, I felt the head of the racquet was a little unstable with a bit of vibration. It reminds me of the Yonex MP100 in this regard, although I would say the vibration is probably a little worse still. I suspect changing the string may help but the vibration is not excessive and I think I can live with it considering the positives. I have some LN NS30 waiting to substitute the VS850 as soon as they've expired - which won't be long as the tension has already dropped by a few pounds. I'm starting to lose patience with VS850. Such as good string, let down only by the collosal tension drop.

In terms of feely touch shots/drops, it is more than adequate. At these slower speed shots the racquet face stability is fine and I had no trouble playing tumble drops, sliced drops etc. The feel of the racquet is noticeably different to a Yonex, felt a little more hollow and certainly makes a different sound on impact. But that's not a bad thing as long as I can control the shuttle well.

One thing I noticed that I've not had before with Yonex racquets was that my low serve felt a little strange. The racquet didn't give me my usual confidence in low serves for some reason. I can't put my finger on it, but it may just take some getting used to. I had to alter my stroke and play a more of a "push" action to ensure it was consistent.

The interesting thing about this racquet is that while it is balanced with a little head weight, the low air resistance frame helps to compensate for the extra head mass. So it effectively gives you the best of both worlds in that you have decent maneouvreability coupled with some mass in the frame for smashing - just what I wanted!

Comparing with a Z-Slash, the shaft length was about the same (~1cm longer than convention) but it was much stiffer than a ZS. And this is what I think makes the LYD such a good racquet. The ZS has a more stable head albeit smaller hitting area. Perfectly hit shots feel better and more solid with a ZS compared to a LYD but with a larger hitting area (despite the face stability) and excellent power, overall I think the LYD is a better doubles racquet than the ZS.

Comparing the LYD with the 8DX, the LYD is by far more powerful but it is no where near as controllable, dependable and stable as an 8DX. The 8DX is best suited for net/midcourt players whereas the LYD is good all-round.

It's a difficult choice between the ZS, 8DX and the LYD as they all have merits in a doubles game but I shall be wielding the LYD for a little while longer and see if I can fathom out the small niggles I'm having with it.